Bárbara Padilla

Bárbara Padilla

Bárbara Padilla, M.Mus. (Template:Pron-en; born December 9, 1973) is a Mexican-American opera soprano. She was the runner-up on the fourth season of America's Got Talent. She is well known as a survivor of Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Personal life

Bárbara Padilla was born in Guadalajara, Mexico where she studied music, acting, and dance.

Health

While in college, Padilla was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma and underwent several rounds of chemotherapy and radiation. During this time, Padilla was told that she might never be able to sing again because the radiation could harm her vocal cords. But she would not give up her dream.

After traveling to Houston for a consultation with doctors, Padilla had the chance to audition for the Moores School of Music at the University of Houston. She was awarded a full scholarship where she completed the Master's Degree program, all while battling cancer. She was in treatment for several years and was near death on more than one occasion. Her faith, family and friends helped her through those difficult times.

Padilla was in remission, living in Texas with her husband and beautiful four-year-old daughter. She feels incredibly blessed to have survived cancer.

Accomplishments

Her accomplishments while at UofH include first place winner in NATS competition in 2001 in the advanced adults category. Barbara was a participant in the summer program IIVArts held in Chiari, Italy. She was invited to sing the American and Mexican National Anthems for the sold-out, historic soccer game at Reliant Stadium. Ms. Padilla has performed as a soloist of many symphonic events, including oratorio and concerts in USA, Italy and Mexico.

Her repertoire includes operas like La Boheme, Turandot, Tosca, Madame Butterfly, La Traviata. She is currently working on her first CD.

America's Got Talent

Padilla auditioned on Talent ,America got quite the surprise when she got up to sing"O Mio Babbino Caro" from Giacomo Puccini. She then advanced to the Vegas Verdicts, where she then moved on to the Top 48.

During the quarterfinals, she sang "Time to Say Goodbye" by Francesco Sartori, with the judges stating she's the leader of the night. She then advanced to the semifinals, singing "Ave Maria". One of the judges claimed it was the best vocal performance in the history of the show, and she was clearly one of the favorites.

During the finals, she sang the same song from her audition. She finished as runner-up, losing to country singer Kevin Skinner.

Performances/Results

Week	Song choice	Original artist	Performance order	Result
Audition	"O Mio Babbino Caro"	Giacomo Puccini	N/A	Advanced
Vegas Verdicts	N/A	N/A	N/A	Advanced
Top 48 Group 4	"Time to Say Goodbye"	Francesco Sartori	N/A	Advanced
Top 20 Group 2	"Ave Maria"	Charles-François Gounod	10	Advanced
Top 10	"O Mio Babbino Caro"	Giacomo Puccini	4	2nd Place

Post Talent

After finishing as the runner up, Barbara Padilla is now performing in the America's Got Talent Live concert.